Methods and devices for managing and editing files in a file system

Abstract

Methods and devices for managing and editing files in a file system are provided. In the method for managing data of a file in a file system, a storage space for storing the data of the file is divided into a plurality of blocks of identical size and sequentially numbered, wherein said blocks being organized in sequentially numbered chunks. And each chunk comprises at least one block. For a chunk, use first management data and second management data to record the size of space not occupied by data in the head part of the first block and in the end part of the last block of each chunk, subsequently to a deletion step of data within the file, the size of space being smaller than the size of a block.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for managing data of a file in a file system, wherein a storage space for storing the data of the file is divided into a plurality of blocks of identical size and sequentially numbered, wherein said blocks being organized in sequentially numbered chunks, and each chunk comprising at least one block, for a chunk, the method comprising the step of:
 using first management data and second management data to record the size of space not occupied by data in the head part of the first block and in the end part of the last block of each chunk, subsequently to a deletion step of data within the file, the size of space being smaller than the size of a block. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the deletion step comprises deleting data from the head part or from the end part of the chunk. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein chunks comprising data of a given file are linked, and wherein the link information is recorded in file system management data. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein if a chunk is totally deleted, the storage space for the deleted chunk will be released and the chunks preceding and following the deleted chunk are linked. 
     
     
       5. A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps:
 when part of the file is deleted, and the deletion starting position and ending position are not in a same block but within a same chunk, the chunk is separated into a first new chunk and a second new chunk, 
 using third management data and fourth management data to record the size of empty space in the head part of the first block and that in the end part of the last block in the second new chunk respectively, and 
 linking the first new chunk and the second new chunk to keep the continuity of the file. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the first new chunk is numbered by using the number of the initial chunk before deletion, and the second new chunk is numbered following the original last chunk in the file system. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein if data in a block is totally deleted, the space of the block is released. 
     
     
       8. A method for managing data of a file in a file system according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of
 when some data of the file is deleted from the middle of a block in a chunk, 
 moving the remaining second half of data following the deleted data in the block to the position immediately following the first half of data in the block, 
 reorganizing the block where the deletion happened and the blocks preceding it in the chunk as a first new chunk, and if there are blocks after the block where the deletion happened, reorganizing those blocks as a second new chunk, 
 using third management data and fourth management data to record the size of empty space in the head part of the first block and that in the end part of the last block in the second new chunk respectively, and 
 linking the first new chunk and the second new chunk. 
 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the first new chunk is numbered by using the number of the initial chunk before deletion, and the second new chunk is numbered following the original last chunk in the file system. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein link information among the chunks is recorded in file system management data. 
     
     
       11. A file system including a non-transitory storage medium, wherein a storage space in the storage medium for storing data of a file is divided into a plurality of blocks of identical size and sequentially numbered, wherein said blocks are organized in sequentially numbered chunks, and each chunk comprises at least one block, said file system comprising management data for each chunk for recording the size of empty storage space in at least one of the head part or the end part of the chunk, wherein the size of the empty storage space is smaller than the size of a block. 
     
     
       12. The file system according to  claim 11 , wherein the size of the spaces in the head part of the first block and in the end part of the last block of the chunk is recorded by first management data and second management data. 
     
     
       13. The file system according to  claim 12 , wherein all chunks for a file are linked to keep the continuity of the file, and the link information is recorded in file system management data. 
     
     
       14. A storage device including the file system of  claim 11 .